I am careful not to laden this composition with too many quotes yet every sincere, thought-provoking assertion I have perused about the paradox of my native Nigeria seems relevant to what my muse is compelling me to pen. The following are the ones I have selected out of the plethora quotables I have in my archive. I will plead with my readers to reference each of them in relation to the few points I will subsequently raise.
"You go to conferences, and your fellow African intellectuals - and even heads of state - they all say: 'Nigeria is a big disappointment. It is the shame of the African continent."
...Wole Soyinka
"Nigeria is a West African nation of over 100 million energetic people. It is endowed with lots of natural resources but lacks human resources."
...Philip Emeagwali
"We are the hunted heirs; and our leaders are our predators"
...Akinade Abimbola
"There is no country in the world with the diversity, confidence and talent and black pride like Nigeria."
...Binyavanga Wainaina
"I've had trouble now and again in Nigeria because I have spoken up about the mistreatment of factions in the country because of difference in religion. These are things we should put behind us."
...Chinua Achebe
The pre-independence era in Nigeria was marked by foreign rule. We learnt in school that indirect rule was adopted by the British Governor+Generals in order to avoid native rebellion and to minimize expenses. We knew how well indirect rule flourished in Hausa/Fulani's north, failed to some extent in Igbo's southeast while it was greeted with indifference in Yoruba's west. This fact rendered the amalgamation of 1914 a great but irrevocable error. The peoples it brought together as a federation are thoroughly distinct in every facet of their lives that they hardly can coexist without contradictions. It is like keeping wolves, sheep and goats in the same cage. I am therefore not amazed that my country is bedevilled but that which I am amazed is the fact that England, a monolingual country found sense in forcing three multi lingual entities (each of which is geographically larger than England itself) together without their consent.
Our fore fathers never agreed to live together. Our togetherness was forced upon us and so was the name, Nigeria. Anyhow, we agreed and kept the status quo. No wonder Obafemi Awolowo said in Path To Nigerian Freedom (1947) that "Nigeria is not a nation. It is a mere geographical expression. The word Nigerian is merely a distinctive appellation to distinguish those who live within the boundaries of Nigeria from those who do not" (End of quote). While no reasonable human would suggest that we undo what Fredrick Lugard did in 1914, the three distinct Nigerian entities cannot part their ways yet refuse accept the differences of one another. The enraged masses cast aspersion on one another, religious extremism aided the tendencies of religious intolerance. Notwithstanding, the leaders - regardless of the creed, tribe or religion - have remained united not in solving the nation's predicaments but in making them worse by pilfering the nation's commonwealth and impoverishing the already angered masses. The three entities did not fail to show their differences in the way they deal with poverty: one of them takes more to street and alms begging, the other to armed robbery and the last one to money ritualism.
In the history of my native Nigeria, every politicians cum leaders who promised Nigerians better lives left us worse than he met us. The military juntas recorded thousands of awful failures than a few success in those years they took the nation rulership. They committed unspeakable atrocities that haunt the history of this nation. For every progress we made in one aspect as a country, there is a hundred regression in other phases. As much as we are blessed with numberless of good resources, we are cursed with the reincarnation of cold-hearted, merciless, tribally and religiously prejidiced group of people who parade themselves as democrats and leaders who monopolised public offices as the exclusive right of their groups. These unworthy fellow creatures by the dints of political power gluttonously allocated for themselves an unjustifiable chunk of our national wealth through salaries and allowances for serving and retired political office holders that almost nothing is left to cater for Nigerians whom they claim they serve. Contracts are awarded within circles and yet unsatisfied, federal, state and local government treasuries are looted and kept for their great grand children unborn. Infrastructural development makes meaning more in analysis than I reality. The one who promised to create million of employment ended up creating more of unemployment. They console us with stipends which can hardly afford a bachelor good meals for a month in the economy they have bastardised.
Education, which majority of them enjoyed free of charge is now an opportunity through which the government extort the already depleted citizens. The Joint Matriculation Examination Board is a governmental profit-making establishment which legitimately swindle money from millions of admission seekers yearly. No state University is affordable to the common man's child(ren) in Nigeria and the federal ones are gradually and unnoticeably modifying their tuition fees. Indirectly, our government has portrayed education to be the right of only the wealthy; telling Obafemi Awolowo that he was foolish for once giving it for free.
Nigerians have been repeatedly hoodwinked, exploited, pummelled and battered by these coterie of leaders. While the government failed in its responsibilities to its citizens, it looks for every possible way for the citizens to perform their own responsibilities. The type of democracy in practice in Nigeria is a sham. Our electoral system which once took the right direction is now derailing. The highest bidder gets the party's tickets and, of course, get votes whether from the people or by any squalid mean. The just concluded gubernatorial elections in Ekiti and Osun states bespoke a great dearth to the beauty of democracy. The Osun supplementary rerun was specifically a national embarrassment. Those countries with which we started together as third-world countries have developed beyond the reach of our imagination.
Nigeria, as advanced as we boast in Africa, seems to have no medical doctor whose experience in medicine suffices to treat our incumbent governors and president. Or why do you think they travel so far away to get treatment? If we do have doctors who are well trained and competent, then it is a laughable disgrace that our leaders still seek medical attentions abroad. You can hardly get education in Nigeria without being exploited financially and intellectually. There is almost zero hope of employment after school yet every state government and the federal government praise itself annually on creation of thousands of jobs. Whom did they employ. Nigerians entrepreneurial skills are maimed by unconducive environment. Poor economic strategy by the government is suffocating the masses who have no share from the nation's treasuries. We have lived far below expectations economically, infrastructurally, politically and in every other national facet. Listen to our leaders speak, a close study to their words and actions/ policies will give you reasons to realise that honesty is missing. Those who claim to have integrity have no iota of it. Our moral values are smashed. We commend deceits and revere tyrants in the presence of our children who watch with keen interest. There is no respect for truth and human dignity. Fifty eight years ago, we got freedom from foreign exploiters and got recolonised by our own leaders. Nigeria is independent but Nigerians are politically in shackles and economically disabled. At fifty eight we are not much different from a toddler.
© Oladehinde Ibikunle
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